Gaza Municipality: Winter season poses serious dangers amid lack of resources
The Mayor of Gaza City, Yahya Al-Sarraj, warned on Thursday that the current winter season poses a real threat to the lives of residents amid the widespread destruction of infrastructure and the severe shortage of equipment needed to handle upcoming storms.
In a statement to Sanad News Agency, Al-Sarraj said that the city is going through harsh and unprecedented conditions. With a weather depression expected in the coming days, there are serious fears of renewed flooding and collapses—particularly in areas where displaced families live in tents or damaged, unstable buildings.
He explained that the municipality is unable to respond quickly or provide essential services due to the loss of heavy machinery and equipment during the Israeli genocidal assault on the Strip. He noted that the municipality has repeatedly appealed for the necessary resources to remove unsafe structures and prepare for the approaching storms.
Al-Sarraj stated that Gaza Municipality urgently needs no less than 1,000 tons of construction materials and spare parts to repair wells and drainage systems, stressing that these needs are not a luxury but essential to save lives and reduce flood risks.
Regarding the Sheikh Radwan Basin, the mayor said that the water level has exceeded five meters and that any new storm could cause it to overflow, submerging nearby residential areas—warning of a “new humanitarian disaster.”
He added that the existing pumps are weak and there is no fuel to operate them, while at least three new pumps are required to safely drain the accumulated water.
Al-Sarraj also warned that the continued discharge of sewage water into the basin has caused environmental and groundwater contamination due to the destruction of most pumps and generators, and cautioned that the environmental and health crisis could worsen if fuel and equipment are not provided urgently.
He noted the spread of insects, rodents, and mosquitoes as debris and waste accumulate, adding that municipal teams are operating with extremely limited resources and only primitive tools—raising the risk of new diseases and epidemics if emergency aid is not delivered soon.
The Mayor of Gaza City called on international organizations and donor agencies to take immediate action to enable the municipality to carry out its duty of protecting citizens’ lives, stressing that “the situation cannot tolerate any delay, and every moment of inaction will only magnify the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip.”